a story for the ages
by lostinanotherworld24
Summary: At 17, G.Callen is fed up with the world. He’s placed with one final family, but for him, escape and freedom are the operative words. When Nell Jones enters the picture, and shakes up his world, he’s left questioning everything he holds dear. Will she be enough to make him stay?
1. chapter 1

chapter one- first meetings

A/N: fair warning(goes for whole story): this story very vaguely follows canon.

G. Callen shot a murderous glare at the passing cornfields, as though they were somehow responsible for his current plight. anger at the world bubbled through his veins hotly, inwardly, he was seething. the last thing in the whole wide word he wanted was to be driven to another house in the middle of nowhere, in a last ditch attempt at giving him a semblance of a family. he didn't need a family, never had and never would.

Mrs. James, his social worker, glanced over at the sullen teen and suppressed a sigh. Callen, as he preferred to be called, had been bounced around enough in her opinion, but the state insisted she give it one more try. She'd conceded, but refused to nourish the spark of hope lit within her. The family appeared promising, but appearances could be deceiving.

In what seemed an absurdly short amount of time to Callen, they arrived at the house. Upon first glance he grudgingly admitted inside his own head that it wasn't the _worst_ house he'd ever stayed at. It was a neatly kept egg-colored house, with a wraparound porch. He also admitted that it was probably the biggest place he'd ever stayed at, land-wise; he could see a few small buildings clustered together in the distance, almost near the woods that edged the property, and a big red barn with an attached pen to complete the set.

However, he refused to admit anything out loud, and simply leaned against the car with his arms crossed while Mrs. James made nice or whatever. The family appeared just as nice as the house; he extinguished the tiny flame of hope that lit within him. He'd be leaving first chance he got.

However, the next person to step onto the porch almost changed everything.

The hottest girl he'd ever seen exited the house, smiling politely and shaking Mrs. James' hand. She had long red hair, tanned skin, and features so delicate they brought to mind fairies from kids' stories. From his stance he could hear the low murmur of conversation, and when the girl laughed, he swore his heart stopped for a minute.

Mrs. James turned suddenly and waved him over, and suddenly, he got hold of himself and remembered his earlier resolve. He hardened his heart, and vowed that one way or another, he'd find a way to escape as soon as possible. And then he'd be free, and he'd run so fast and hide so well that they'd never be able to catch him.

 _Never_.


	2. chapter two

chapter two-hello my name is

Nell Jones couldn't honestly say she felt strongly one way or the other about the whole foster boy subject. She was sorta ambiguous about the whole thing, though she was a little weirded out by the thought of a stranger just randomly coming to live in her home. However, the voicing of that thought would only lead to a lecture on how she needed to be more grateful and count her blessings.

The ambiguity, however, only lasted until he arrived. Because when he arrived, Nell happened to be half-dozing on her bed, comfortably warm from the sunlight hitting her comforter. So the very last thing she wanted to do was move; the second last thing was meet new people. And yet he forced her to do both.

She plastered on a genuine enough smile and shook the social worker's hand politely. Nell even faked a laugh at the appropriate time. However, once she got a glimpse of the boy, it was all she could do to keep her jaw shut. The boy- man might have been a more accurate term- was so hot Nell could've swore she saw steam rising off of him.

From the porch, Nell could see he had dark hair, tanned skin, and muscles. When he hopped up onto the porch however, she nearly fainted. He possessed the most stunning, ocean-blue eyes, along with a smattering of freckles on the bridge of his nose.

"Callen, this is Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and their daughter Nell," the social worker introduced. He nodded politely and shook hands, but had a closed-off look in his eyes and a blank expression on his face that made her heart hurt. She couldn't imagine not knowing who her parents were, or constantly having to move.

A few minutes the social worker announced she was done, said her goodbyes, reminding them she'd be back in a week, and left.

"Nell, why don't you show Callen his room?" Mr. Jones suggested.

Nell nodded and motioned for Callen to follow her, leading him through the house and up the stairs to a modest-sized bedroom, the last one on the left at the end of a long hallway. Callen nodded appreciatively as he entered, because it was definitely one of the nicest rooms he'd ever stayed in. The pastel blue walls, sheer white curtains, and smooth wood flooring all brought about feelings of relief and comfort, feelings that he never normally had. If he was being honest, they made him extremely uncomfortable.

"So, would you like to stay here, and get settled in, or would you like a grand tour of the place?" Nell asked. Callen considered the pros and cons of each choice before making his decision. After all, it couldn't hurt to map out the best escape routes and hiding places.

Xxxx

The farm was as big as originally estimated, with hiding places and escape routes aplenty. Some of the hiding places were even big enough to hide multiple people- the parents had appeared to be alright, but there was no telling what would happen in the coming days. As short as he planned for his stay to be, it could never hurt to be prepared.

Dinner hadn't been half bad either; the meal was lasagna with garlic bread and salad, with Nell, Callen, and Mr. Jones pitching in and helping out. The family had tried their best to make him feel comfortable and welcome, which he appreciated, although it still set him on edge.

Later that night, as he lay in bed, he did his best to shove those feelings away. No good feelings could last, so it was best to just pretend they never existed at all.

A/N: thank you for reading! don't hesitate to leave me a review and let me know what you thought!


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